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August 4, 1995

Engineer: Radiation leaks led to cancer

COURTS: Southern California Edison is accused of failing to warn workers of risks.

By Amanda Covarrubias
The Associated Press

SAN DIEGO – Leaking fuel rods, faulty monitoring devices and corporate inaction caused a former engineer at the San Onofre nuclear power plant to contract a rare form of cancer, his lawyers said Thursday.

The plant's operator, Southern California Edison, knew that Glen James, 63, who worked there from 1982 to 1986, was exposed to unsafe levels of radiation, but failed to tell him and other employees, said Suzelle Smith, James' lawyer, during opening statements in U.S. District Court.

"There was uncontrolled radiation and Southern California Edison knew it and documented it through the time period James was there." Smith said.

But in the statement, Smith said the monitoring devices used by Edison undercounted contamination levels inside the containment building, giving James and other workers the impression they were safe.

Smith said the 100 faulty fuel rods inside the Unit 3 reactor leaked microscopic particles of nuclear fuel into the water container holding them contaminating the area where James worked. There are 50,000 fuel rods inside the reactor.

Smith said Edison knew about the defective rods but made no moves to shut down the reactor and replace them.

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